Final homestand
The Point Loma baseball team will welcome in PacWest Conference foe Fresno Pacific for a four-game series starting on Monday, May 9 to close out the regular season for both team. The teams will play doubleheaders both Monday and Tuesday starting at Noon.
 
Senior Day Ceremonies, presented by Miguel's Cocina
Tuesday's contests will be the final games for nine Sea Lion seniors as they take the field last time at Carroll B. Land Stadium for the last time. AJ Derr, Joseph Keller, Michael Randel, Tanner Handa and Garrett Gooding are all four-year letterwinners for the Sea Lions.  Coleman Huntley III, Alex Connor, Devin Carter and Alex Campos each transferred into PLNU for two years prior to the start of the 2015 season.
 
Probable pitching matchups (PLNU vs. FPU)
Game 1: Kellen Sheppard (7-4, 2.59 era) vs. Jake Martinez (5-6, 4.59 era)
Game 2: Nathan Bennett (3-1, 2.28 era) vs.  Rickie Garcia (4-3, 5.27 era)
Game 3: Trevor Abshire (4-3, 3.73 era) vs. Davy Vartanian (2-2, 6.33 era)
Game 4: Kevin Lillicrop (6-2, 2.78 era) vs. Josh Acosta (1-2, 6.75 era)
 
Follow along
If you are unable to attend this week's games they will all be available for fans to follow on live stats and live video. Live stats will be free of charge while video stream will vary in price based on the venue. PLNU home games are $8.95 on a pay-per-view basis. To access both live stats and live video visit plnusealions.com/gameday.
 
A look at the Sea Lions
Point Loma is coming off a four-game sweep at home over Holy Names. PLNU improved to 28-16 on the season, and moved into fourth place in the PacWest standings with a 17-13 record. The Sea Lions are 8.5 games behind first-place California Baptist. They are in good position to clinch fourth place in the standings. PLNU must pick up a win during the weekend to lock down fourth place.
 
The pitching staff continues to be the backbone of the 2016 PLNU baseball team. The Sea Lions rank in the top 15 in NCAA Division II in numerous categories, including ranking third in the nation with just 2.21 walks allowed per nine innings. Point Loma is also 10th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.12), 11th in earned run average (3.28) and 13th in WHIP (1.23). Kellen Sheppard is ranked fifth in the PacWest in both earned run average (2.59) and wins (seven). He paces the PacWest with 1.23 walks allowed per nine innings and is third in WHIP (1.05). Kevin Lillicrop, a fellow junior starter, is third in the PacWest with a 1.16 WHIP and is seventh with a 2.78 era. He is posting 4.31 strikeouts for every walk he yields. The bullpen has been solid all season for the Sea Lions. Noah Huggins, John Shurance and Coleman Huntley III have all made at least 14 appearances out of the bullpen. Shurance's 1.40 era leads the squad, but Huggins is right behind with a 1.84 era. Huntley has five saves to lead the team. Nathan Bennett also pitched 12 games out of the pen before moving into the rotation. He has a 2.28 era on the season and has allowed only 37 hits in 43.1 innings pitched.  
 
Offensively, Point Loma has seven of its nine starters hitting over .300. Ryan Garcia leads the team with a .367 batting average, 12 home runs and 55 runs batted in. He is also pacing PLNU in on-base (.457) and slugging percentage (.457). He has struck out just 18 times while drawing 27 walks. Devin Carter is leading the team with 42 runs scored and 19 extra base hits, while hitting .350. AJ Derr has a .302 batting average and a .399 on-base percentage. He leads the squad with 12 stolen bases. Kellen Sheppard has also played designated hitter when not on the mound for the Sea Lions. He is hitting .341 with six home runs and 26 RBI. Mike Gordner hit a pair of home runs in the last series to raise his total to nine on the season. He is now second on the team with 32 RBI. Other Sea Lions hitting over .300 include Cale Hathaway (.326), Harrison Ramey (.319) and Matt Jervis (.304). PLNU is hitting .301 with a .391 on-base percentage as a team, and has a run differential of +95. 
 
Record watch
Ryan Garcia's great offensive season has moved him up the PLNU single-season and career record books. He is tied for 10th for home runs in a season (12). His 55 RBI this season rank him sixth all-time and he is just eight RBI short from matching the PLNU single-season record. He now has 105 career RBI to rank seventh in PLNU history. Devin Carter has a chance to sneak into the single-season record books for runs scored. He currently has 42 on the season and 10th place on the list is 49.
 
A look at the Sunbirds
Fresno Pacific is coming to Point Loma looking to snap a five-game losing streak which has dropped its record to 20-25 on the season and to 15-16 in the PacWest. Last season, FPU won three of four games against the Sea Lions at Carroll B. Land Stadium but prior to that 'America's Most Scenic Ballpark' had been a place of horrors for the Sunbirds as they had lost 11 straight games against PLNU on the road. Leo Carrillo leads FPU and is third in the PacWest with a .403 batting average. Nick Pate leads the team with 39 RBI and Preston Scott paces the squad with 39 runs scored. Scott also leads the country with seven triples. Jake Martinez is the Sunbirds' No. 1 pitcher. He is 5-6 this season with a 4.59 era and 56 strike outs in 80.1 innings pitched. As a team, FPU is hitting .269 and has -70 run differential.
 
Playoffs?
While it is a long shot for the Sea Lions, they will not officially be eliminated from the NCAA West regional until the selection show occurs on Sunday, May 15 at 7:00 p.m. (PST).